03 AUGUST 2015

In today’s edition of Ask The Editor (ATE), we take an early look at Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito, put our promoters hats on for Pacquiao & Mayweather and ask what is up with David Haye not facing the Klitschkos. We take a look at the Showtime bantamweight boxing tournament, ask why Roy Jones Jr is still fighting, consider Anthony Mundine’s rankings and much more.

Name : Eric BellCountry : USAYour Question : I can’t wait for the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight in November. Margarito, regardless of what you think of him, he is a big boxer who brings plenty of experience. How do you predict the Pac-Man will fight him?

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: If Margarito’s trainer had not been caught loading up his gloves prior to the Shane Mosley fight I’d agree with you, Eric. I too would be looking forward to it. But the fact is he did get caught and should not in my opinion be allowed to fight again.

GREGORY JUCKETT ANSWERS: Eric, Pacquiao won’t change his strategy…he’ll stay in his usual attack mode. The size of De La Hoya didn’t change Manny, so I don’t think Margarito’s physical stature will affect his game plan. Margarito needs to accurately counter and tie-up Pacquiao when necessary; the latter tactic De La Hoya should have tried more of to extend the fight.

PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Who knows what to expect from Antonio Margarito? He is slow of hand and foot speed and this gives Pacquiao a huge advantage. Margarito needs to catch him and land hard, but does the Mexican punch that hard? Who knows? I see Pacquiao winning well.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: How will he find him, Eric, with almost every punch he throws. Without loaded gloves, I am not sure just how good Margarito is. He was taken apart by an old Mosley when he had no extra help. Pac-Man inside of six.

Name : Patrick McKenzieCountry : USAYour Question : With Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao seemingly unable to make a fight happen, I started thinking like their promoters. Assuming they’ll both fight once more before, finally, maybe, rumbling in 2011, who do I match my guy up with to get the strongest hand for the next [Money vs. Pac-Man] negotiation table? Being Floyd’s manager, I’d tell him to go after Sergio Martinez. Floyd would be moving up in weight, likely to 154 pounds, and trying to defeat a guy who recently defeated a big, strong 160 [+] pound champion. And a victory would get the hard-core fans wondering if Floyd could then beat Paul Williams. Switching to Manny’s camp, I’d first tell Pac to nix any plans to fight Cotto again. Margarito would be an interesting fight, but much of the boxing public is still sour about Antonio’s new, well-deserved “hands of fiberglass” moniker. Plus, Floyd fans would chastise that victory. Option 1: Andre Berto. In a sense this guy is a cross between Jermain Taylor and Shane Mosley. Option 2: Timothy Bradley - an undefeated, rising star 140-pound champ, and arguably the best junior welterweight in the game today - plus, a guy who just beat a game 147 pound fighter. While the general boxing public doesn’t currently know who Bradley is, I believe the hard-core fans/critics would defend the choice and create the needed buzz to sell the fight. I’d tell Manny, you can beat this guy and if he gives you an opening you can knock him out. Manny, go for option 2.

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Regardless of options, Patrick, for there is only one genuine HBO PPV fight out there and that is Mayweather Jr vs. Pacquiao, period. I’ve got no problem with the match-ups you have made but my opinion is our sports needs Mayweather Jr vs. Pacquiao now whilst both men are in their prime.

PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Some interesting fights but really, Martinez would push Mayweather definitely, but Clive is right. Make the biggest fight! Though, it seems now that Floyd Mayweather Jr has a few more outside the ring problems to deal with.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: I can’t argue with your ideas at all. Sounds sound to me. Only thing is, now Floyd may have rendered himself moot because he lost control and allegedly hit the mother of his kids. He may have ruined the best career in history! Even worse than the career that Tony Ayala Jr. ruined back in the 1980’s when he was convicted of rape.

Name : Lawrence MillsCountry : United KingdomYour Question : Good Afternoon Gentlemen. My question concerns David Haye. What do you guys think is going on here? I am a Brit, and was really proud to have another legitimate heavyweight world champion. OK, maybe he didn’t have that great a claim to his shot against Valuev in the first place, but he was the undisputed cruiserweight world champion, stepping up to heavyweight, and I have seen people earn shots for far less.He won the WBA title fighting the best tactical fight he could to beat Valuev, he destroyed the “quiet man” John Ruiz, and then we all assumed the Klitschko brothers were next in line. What on Earth has happened? I will never call any man who gets in the ring a coward, I think that’s ignorant beyond words. However something is stopping this fight from happening. I can only think it’s one of the following.A. Haye doesn’t think he can beat either brother and wants no part of either, hence the Harrison fight.B. Haye has been watching Vitali’s recent bouts and has seen the big Ukrainian starting to look more like his 38 years of age every time out, and is thinking that if he can hold off another 12-18 months he might be there for the taking.C. He wants to fight the Klitschko’s but he is being offered silly money to knock over Harrison first.D. It is all on the level, and as the reports suggest it’s simply a case of getting all the parties that have a stake in Haye, around the table with K2 promotions, and exorcising these "Devils" in the details.What do you guys think? I really, really, hope it’s D, but I think its probably B or C.

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Lawrence I too believe it is a combination of B and three C but an element of D as well. My opinion is and it is my opinion, Team Haye had no choice but to sign future fight options (3 fights I think) with Don King and Wilfried Sauerland in order to get the shot at Valuev. Bearing in mind that Haye already has a promotional agreement with Golden Boy there seems to be a lot of the financial pie to share around. Lets be honest here, no one knows exactly apart from the promoters what the financial agreement is but I’m guessing David will make a lot more money facing a relatively easy title defence against Audley Harrison than he would for a 50-50 split Wladimir Klitschko in a very tough fight. One thing I’m sure of, like Mayweather Jr vs. Pacquiao, Haye vs. either Klitschko has to happen within the next year.

GREGORY JUCKETT ANSWERS: Lawrence, I think it’s a combination of C and D. Haye is optimizing his money until the proper big meeting takes place between the powers that be for the Klitschkos and Haye.

PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: David Haye is not going to fight either Klitschko until he gets offered the money he wants to justify the risk. Simple as that.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: They say that Haye is very arrogant and demanding. The Klitschkos have no reason to allow anyone to push them around so it makes negotiating with Haye a daunting task. You are right that all fighters are courageous, some more than others, so Haye cannot be called a coward.

Name : Simon ReevesCountry : UKYour Question : With Vitali Klitschko facing Shannon Briggs on 16 October in Germany, have we officially reached the bottom of the barrel of meaningful fights at heavyweight?

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Simon, I could not agree more. I can’t remember the last time I watched a decent heavyweight scrap. Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko perhaps? And that was SEVEN years ago. Problem is at this particular time there is no one to mount a serious challenge to the Klitschko brothers, except fighting each other that is but that of course will never happen.

GREGORY JUCKETT ANSWERS: Simon, when I saw that Klitschko-Briggs was official, I thought to myself “what could possibly be next?” That one could be ugly to watch.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: Maybe, but I think that there are competitive guys out there including Povetkin, Solis, Adamek, and even Valuev, still available.

Name : Shawn EllisCountry : USAYour Question : I read that Roy Jones Jr is continuing his career against Danny Santiago in Pensacola on 7 October. Apart from picking up a pay day, what possible thing is Jones looking to achieve by fighting on after his recent bad losses to Bernard Hopkins and Danny Green?

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: I have no idea Shawn, why Roy Jones Jr would want to fight on. Maybe some high profile sportsman just can’t except that their careers are over and are in denial. Think about it? Roy Jones was at the top of his game for 20 years and the p4p king for 10 of them. It must take a lot of getting used to not being called champ anymore. There are many professional sportsmen out there that just can’t except they don’t have what it takes anymore. Whilst baseball and football players have no choice but to retire because they can no longer make the team, unfortunately boxers can fight pretty much anywhere and well past their primes.

GREGORY JUCKETT ANSWERS: Shawn, despite the fact that Jones-Santiago has been postponed, I think Roy will fight on simply because he likes the attention, but his reputation/legacy is taking hit at this point.

PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: As we have seen with Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, some elite boxers get used to a luxurious lifestyle they just can’t afford when they are not banking the biggest cheques anymore. Jones earned a lot less than those two over his career and maybe money could be a problem now. Certainly, there is nothing left for Roy to achieve inside the ring.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: Some fighters just can’t quit. He loves the spotlight, at least that’s how I see it.

Name : Matt LarkinCountry : USAYour Question : I’m pumped about Showtime’s new bantamweight tournament. You have four tough guys in Perez, Agbeko, Darchinyan and Mares. Who do have as favourite to win it all?

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Matt, this tournament has come at exactly the right time. Showtime may not have the financial clout of a HBO but they have put on some great matches over the years and I just hope all the fights come off and the tournament ends to a natural conclusion, unlike the super middleweight tournament.

GREGORY JUCKETT ANSWERS: Matt, I like Yonnhy Perez. I think the Colombian is the most complete fighter of the four.

PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Perez and Mares had a draw in their last fight, so they are very even. Perez beat Agbeko on points last year. Agbeko beat Darchinyan on points before that. Perez should be favourite, but either boxer can win on the night. Darchinyan brings the knockout power ‘X’ factor. I’ll go with the Raging Bull in an upset. Thank you Showtime. All four matches will be great fights.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: Tough call, you are right that they are all good, but I’ll go with Darchinyan. He has an awkwardly clever style that reminds me a little bit of Joe Calzaghe.

Name : Anthony DaleCountry : AustraliaYour Question : Why does a boxer such as Anthony Mundine get rated so highly by the WBA and SecondsOut team when he has achieved very little against genuine top five contenders in any division. Yet a fighter like Danny Green with impressive recent victories over Roy Jones and Manny Siaca is not getting the same dues. Do ratings mean anything?

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Anthony, I’m sure you know by now that none of the three main sanctioning bodies display identical ratings. Our ratings are compiled by our own Derek Bonnett and of course we feel our ratings are very accurate.

GREGORY JUCKETT ANSWERS: Anthony, it’s very odd that the WBA doesn’t rank Green, maybe because he holds an IBO belt. SO does recognize Green in our rankings. Mundine has had such a strange career it’s hard to tell where to rank him, but you’re right…the WBA seems to be his biggest fans.

PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: In some ways, Mundine has been riding high on Green’s recent success. Every win for Danny has made Anthony look better because of his win over him. Mundine and his team do seem to have a healthy relationship with the WBA. He held their super middleweight world title twice and hosts one of their “KO to Drugs” cards each year. Really, while Green deserves credit for the win over Jones, both Roy and Siaca were way past their best when he fought them. Green’s upcoming fight with BJ Flores on 17 November is the most dangerous since his comeback.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: Years ago they did, but today politics and money have a lot to do with it. I am not saying that Mundine, or his team, did anything wrong, only that things do happen.

Name : Gareth BealCountry : AustraliaYour Question : Hi SO team, I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Danny Green vs. Paul Briggs mismatch. This seems to me to be an issue that affects all of boxing, not just the sport in Australia. I for one feel very sorry for Briggs and I’m glad the bout ended the way it did. It could have been much worse. He could have been killed. Clearly he was in a desperate financial position to take the fight at all. Hell, in the lead-up to the fight, his neurological problems were reportedly so severe that he kept forgetting where his training gym was located... Someone needed to save him from himself: isn’t a corner supposed to protect their fighter, in and out of the ring? As for Green, how he could have had no inkling of this is beyond me. Surely as the card’s promoter he had some responsibility to make sure that Briggs was fit? Even if he didn’t realise that the latter had genuine health issues, which frankly beggars belief, his imposing a catchweight under the cruiserweight limit against a fighter who has been inactive for over 3 years strikes me as the real ’fix’ here. His comments after the fight were likewise unforgivable. I suppose he’ll be trying to line up Ali next. Very, very sad.

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: I gotta say I love boxing as much now as I did when I first came into the sport more than 25 years ago but when I hear about the Margarito scandal and the Briggs vs. Green fiasco, I find it very difficult to defend the sport. Pretty much everyone involved in Green-Briggs fight must have known his medical history. What were these people thinking? Briggs could have been killed. What really saddens me is Green is a fighter and he knows damn well the damage he could have done.

GREGORY JUCKETT ANSWERS: Gareth, I wasn’t aware of the specific details related to Green-Briggs, but it indeed sounds sad. I remember watching Terry Norris having trouble walking up the steps right before his fight with Dana Rosenblatt and Roberto Duran-William Joppy being sanctioned, so unfortunately it’s not the first time we’ve seen this.

PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Danny felt that Paul Briggs would bring something to the ring. As a promoter, Danny has a greater responsibility, but was told that Briggs was OK. It was a very bad look for the sport. The IBO should never have sanctioned the fight.

JERRY GLICK ANSWERS: I can’t talk about what was in Green’s mind, or about what he may have known, but it is up to the local commission to sort fighters out. You have touched upon one of my pet peeves in boxing; the corner. How often do we watch a beaten fighter with no chance to win being sent out to take more punches because his corner does not have the guts to stop the fight. Often it is the fighter who pays the cornermen so they don’t want to stop a fight and lose future opportunities with this fighter. Another is the rule among referees that as long as a fighter is throwing punches don’t stop it. Even hurt fighters throw punches out of instinct so that rule sucks. I could go on but I won’t here.